Dinner
Qin Lan listened to what was said and put away the note in his hand. He didn't understand what Xiao Yingzhu was going to do now when the atmosphere between her and Jiang Nian had just gotten a little better.
Glancing at the stunned Jiang Nian, he worried that Xiao Yingzhu wouldn't be able to deliver the aromatherapy products in the future, so he spoke up for her, "What's the big deal? Most people just listen to it and forget about it. Miss Jiang, it's okay."
Jiang Nian looked back with her clear eyes, as if she had just come to her senses, and her eyes, as quiet as the surface of a lake, were now rippled with waves.
She was just wondering how to respond to Xiao Yingzhu's words that were doubting her identity in both open and covert ways, but she didn't expect that Qin Lan, who seemed to be indifferent and just liked to watch the show, would respond for her.
She turned away with a smile and bowed to Xiao Yingzhu, with a hint of teasing on her face.
"Jiang Niansu rarely pays attention to the list and his knowledge is limited. I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Master Xiao."
Some time ago, I discussed the market price with Xu Bo at the pharmacy, and before that, I went to Yuejiang Pavilion to inquire about the news.
She would dig up every last detail of the intelligence and meticulously analyze it. How could she not pay attention to the public notices? Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe it.
Seeing Jiang Nian's cunning look as if she was sure that he couldn't do anything to her, Xiao Yingzhu casually rubbed the ring on her knuckles, but ignored her words and gave Qin Lan a cold look.
"?"
Qin Lan felt a chill down his spine when he saw his gaze. He was stunned for some reason and returned his gaze with a question mark. Then he lingered between the two of them for a moment, staying on Jiang Nian's expression for a few seconds. His mind was like being electrified, and he suddenly noticed a slight difference.
After thinking it over and realizing the truth, Zuoyou turned his head with some boredom, raised his hand to hook the neck of Yunxiu who was standing aside watching the night view, and walked into the gate of Guanyue Building on the street.
"Let's go, let's not stand here, let's eat."
"ah?"
The hand hooked around his neck was a bit strong, and Yunxiu staggered when he was pulled by him. His body leaned forward involuntarily, and he followed Qin Lan's steps into the building.
"Wait, wait, the master hasn't come in yet—"
"Tsk." Qin Lan lowered his head and whispered in Yunxiu's ear, "Didn't you see the ambiguous relationship between those two? Why are you standing there like a sitting duck?"
Yunxiu, who had been indirectly bullied by two people in the carriage that night, immediately stopped struggling and walked inside with a depressed look on her lips. As she walked, she glanced back and saw that she was getting some distance from Xiao Yingzhu. Then she whispered, "What's their relationship? They look close yet not close, but I don't believe there's no secret love going on."
As I turned, the waiter came up to me with a smile on his face. After asking about the private room I had booked, I was immediately taken to the third floor.
At this height, Xiao Yingzhu couldn't hear anything no matter how good her five senses were. Qin Lan slowly picked up the appetizer tea that was served first and poured himself a cup.
"You don't understand. They just like this kind of ambiguous and secret flirting. Don't be fooled by the fact that they appear to be so close now. Maybe after a while..."
Before he could finish his words, he caught sight of a corner of a moon-white dress and suddenly choked on the tea he was drinking. Qin Lan immediately put down the teacup, put on a different face, raised his eyebrows and smiled at Xiao Yingzhu, who was led here by the waiter, and changed the subject: "Here you are, it's time to serve the food."
He subtly skipped over the topic that had just been brought up, and asked Ai to sit next to him, leaving the seats opposite for Xiao Yingzhu and Jiang Nian who came later.
Ai was holding an oil-paper bag in his hand, which contained several large round golden pastries that he had just placed in the middle of the carriage. Now in the private room, the spicy ginger flavor and sweet crispy taste of the golden pastries were stronger.
She stood beside Qin Lan and placed the oil paper bag in the middle of the wooden table again.
No matter how bad this snack tastes, he is a child picked up from the roadside after all, and I can't be so ungrateful.
Qin Lan let out a long sigh, reached out and picked up one of the balls from the spread out oil paper, stared at the ball for a moment, then raised his eyes and looked at the other people who were sitting silently in their seats.
"Why aren't you talking? Xiao Ai brought some local specialties. Would you like to try some first?"
Having just been spicy from the spherical snack, Jiang Nian no longer wanted to experience snacks that were both spicy and sweet. Qin Lan looked at her from the opposite side, her eyes were gentle, and she slowly turned away.
Xiao Yingzhu glanced at Jiang Nian, whose earlobes were still a little red, curled her lips casually, raised her eyes and spoke lightly to change the subject.
"If you like it, enjoy it as you please. There's no need to force yourself to be generous."
“…”
Xiao Yingzhu's eyes were cold and indifferent, and one could understand from her silent expression.
Ai next to him turned around and looked at him with dark eyes. The hand holding the round snack paused slightly, and Qin Lan withdrew his hand with a smile.
"good."
"Thank you."
—
The evening banquet was different from the usual etiquette in Huandu. At first, Jiang Nian thought that Yunxiu and Ai were just guards, but he didn't expect them to sit at the table.
Listening to Qin Lan's explanation, they usually hold a banquet when close friends and relatives go on a long journey.
Xin Fengyunxiu and other secret guards have been with them through thick and thin for many years. They were indispensable for the missions they had to complete in previous years. After getting along for a long time, they became familiar with each other and became good friends.
Of course, you have to hold a private banquet to say goodbye to a good friend.
There are few people left in Pingzhou now. Xinfeng, Qing and Yu are out on missions, so only Ai and Yunxiu are allowed to come. This is a blessing for the smooth completion of future missions.
Jiang Nian didn't communicate much with Xiao Yingzhu's secret guards. She had met some of them these days. Even though she was not familiar with them, she could feel the warm atmosphere among them, just like her relationship with Guizhi Fuling.
But of the two owners here, apart from Xiao Yingzhu being the Duke, from the few words Qin Lanti said in the afternoon, Jiang Nian guessed that his identity was the eldest son of the capital.
It is extremely rare for two people of such high status to have a relationship with their subordinates that is not distant, but rather as united as a family.
Even though Jiang Nian was a modern person and had been in Huandu for several months, she couldn't help but apply the etiquette here to them, but the way they got along was beyond her expectations.
But she was quite happy about this accident. By getting along with them, she could temporarily not feel the inequality in this dynasty, and she could get a moment of respite.
However, she couldn't try to guess the reasons behind their choice. She would only wait until she got to know Xiao Yingzhu better, and then perhaps she would know something.
—
The five people in the private room were in a state of silence because Qin Lan started a conversation. They started laughing and chatting again.
Xiao Yingzhu was obviously in a good mood after what happened just now. Even if she didn't look at his profile, she could feel his joy from her body and mind.
The restaurant served the dishes quickly, and they were on the table not long after they started talking. Jiang Nian, who had been listening to their conversation with a faint smile, was stunned when he saw the various meat and vegetable dishes on the table.
There are several dishes on the table that suit our taste.
Such a coincidence happened on her first banquet. She raised her eyes and quickly glanced at the others. Seeing that everyone looked normal, the doubts in her heart dissipated.
I've been feeling very uncertain lately.
After waiting for Xiao Yingzhu and Qin Lan to choose their dishes, she picked up the serving chopsticks and chose a dish.
There was a screen not far behind Jiang Nian, and beside her was the night window on one side and Xiao Yingzhu on the other. When she leaned over to get the dishes, the sleeve of her left hand tugged slightly against his sleeve, and the friction of the silk texture immediately penetrated the fabric to her skin. Her body stiffened, and she sat back in her original position without a sound.
...I don't know if it's because her arms are too short or because of the round table in the private room, but she can't move too much in this light dress.
This made her movements of taking the food seem strange.
Normally, she didn't have these random thoughts, and no one around her was paying attention to her at this moment, but when she thought of the person sitting next to her, Jiang Nian's mind would always drift away.
He sighed softly, tilted his eyes slightly, and met Xiao Yingzhu's eyes again.
Her eyes were startled, and her thoughts went back to earlier times.
—
Just after Qin Lan had left with his arm around Yunxiu's neck, Ai had taken some golden pastries from the carriage and gone up. The only people left at the Guanyue Tower were the passing crowd and herself and Xiao Yingzhu.
Xiao Yingzhu was in a bad mood after being delayed by Qin Lan. The teasing intention was gone. When his attention turned back to her, there was a different kind of dark meaning in his eyes.
The crowd around was noisy, and under the night lights, their shadows stretched out and overlapped in the gaps between the passing shadows.
Those dark eyes were dim in the mottled night, but they were like pearls in the night sky, able to filter out all other debris and let bits of bright colors shine into her pupils.
All the familiar people dispersed, and no one around them paid attention to them standing in the corner of the bamboo forest of Guanyue Tower. Jiang Nianben's slightly tense mood relaxed a little.
Xiao Yingzhu looked at her coldly for a few seconds, then smiled gently as if sighing.
"Jiang Nian, even after all these days of explanation, it's not my place to ask for repayment."
The others were not there, so the topic changed to something that only belonged to the two of them.
He paused for a few seconds deliberately, the darkness in his eyes became darker, and his tone was casual but meaningful.
"You can't ask for favors. If you ask for them, you'll owe me a favor, right?"
There was some time between the time spent in the Bamboo Forest Teahouse and the time spent in the Moon Viewing Tower.
His tone seemed to follow his heart, and as if he was persisting in the initial test, he returned to the point that both parties understood tacitly.
Jiang Nian's suddenly tense nerves relaxed again, and it was not difficult to guess why he brought it up at this time.
After arriving in Cang County, they openly stated that they were on the same side. At this critical moment, and based on cooperation based on "trust", they should not hide anything.
Her mind was filled with thoughts, and the night wind grew cooler. She turned away from Xiao Yingzhu, but her peripheral vision caught the shadow on the ground.
They were separated in different places, but now they are gradually intertwined with each other.
The clear and crisp agarwood fragrance bloomed lightly, and the moon-white color was getting closer to her.
My heart suddenly started to beat faster. Even though I hadn't thought of how to answer him yet, I was forced to raise my head because of the distance between us. My lips just brushed against the edge of his sleeve, and I felt a little warm.
The fragrance of agarwood seemed to be against his nose. Xiao Yingzhu leaned down slightly, and his fingertips lightly rested on Jiang Nian's shoulders.
As the light and clear breaths blended together, Jiang Nian's eyes reflected the cold, deep darkness in his eyes, and his breathing suddenly stopped for a moment.
As if he couldn't miss any expression on her face, Xiao Yingzhu lowered his head and eyelids, met her slightly flickering eyes, hooked his fingertips, lightly brushed across one side of her black hair, and finally twisted the end without any force, his breath filled with a faint smile.
"Time is running out, Jiang Nian."
It was like a hint that could not be told to outsiders. The distance between them was already close, but he felt it was not enough. He moved even closer and whispered a few words in her ear.
Jiang Nian raised her head and listened to Xiao Yingzhu whisper a few words in her ear. Tinnitus sounded briefly, and the almost imperceptible strength in the black hair seemed to be imprinted in her bones. The faint warmth dissipated, and Xiao Yingzhu stood back to the original position, looking at her leisurely with his eyes down from a distance.
Although he knew that Xiao Yingzhu would find out, he didn't expect it to be so quick. He also didn't know how he determined her identity. The question "When are you going to tell me" seemed ambiguous.
——Since he knew clearly that she was not Jiang Nian, why did he need her to tell him in person?
Jiang Nian caught a glimpse of someone looking at them. He didn't think about why Xiao Yingzhu suddenly brought this up. He just felt embarrassed as if someone was being spied on.
But in front of her, Xiao Yingzhu's expression was different from the delicate thoughts in her heart, which were like jade beads falling to the ground. She was as calm as usual, pausing for a moment without refutation, with pure eyebrows and eyes smiling like the stars.
"I've already revealed everything, why would Master Xiao need to confirm it with me again? Don't you trust my judgment in choosing friends?"
The conversation ended there, making the point. After half-heartedly evading the question, Jiang Nian glanced at him from afar, then calmly turned and walked towards the Moon Viewing Tower.
They'd been standing there for too long, inevitably attracting attention. And now, even more people were looking at them, gossiping and peeking in like they were some cheesy, clichéd couple on a trip, like they were just some playful, affectionate couple.
If Xiao Yingzhu hadn't inexplicably come closer to her just now, there wouldn't be so many people watching.
Feeling her ears flush, Yingying walked forward even faster. She ignored Xiao Yingzhu, who had a rather meaningful expression on her face and didn't reply, and after a while she entered the Moon Viewing Tower first.
—
When his thoughts returned to this, Jiang Nian was looking into his eyes. He felt unhappy for a moment, then he turned his eyes away calmly and looked forward again.
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